Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to deployment and safety mechanisms for use in surgical instruments configured to treat and divide tissue.
Background of Related Art
A forceps is a plier-like instrument which relies on mechanical action between its jaws to grasp, clamp, and constrict tissue. Electrosurgical forceps utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to treat, e.g., coagulate, cauterize, and/or seal, tissue.
Typically, once tissue has been treated, the surgeon has to accurately sever the tissue along the treated section of tissue. Accordingly, many forceps have been designed which incorporate a knife which effectively severs the tissue after tissue treatment.
When using forceps and other surgical instruments including knifes and/or other deployable components, accidental deployment of the knife or other deployable component can result in harm to the surgeon, patient, or surgical team member(s). As a result, safety mechanisms for knives and other deployable components are desirable.